how soon should they go in the incubator

[donjr721]

i am building an incubator and want to hatch some of my hens' eggs. how soon after eggs are collected should they go in the incubator. i have been getting anywhere from 4 to 7 eggs per day. i want to put at least a dozen in at once. also if i have refrigerated my eggs, but decide i want to hatch, will the refrigeration keep them from hatching?

 

[gryeyes]

They can go into the incubator right away. The refrigerated eggs need to come to room temperature before you put them into an incubator. In both cases, don't open the incubator for 24 hours after setting them into it - they need to come up to incubation temp.

Good luck!

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Most people collect for 7 days but you can go up to 14 days. Putting them in the fridge hurts fertility slightly but makes them store longer than 14 days.